Stapff Named SSC Male Scholar-Athlete of Year

Daniel Stapff won the SSC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the third time. Photo by Jim McCurdy

WINTER PARK, Fla. -- For the third consecutive year, Barry senior golfer Daniel Stapff has been named Sunshine State Conference Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

A finance major with a 3.92 GPA, Stapff is the only student-athlete in SSC history to win Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year multiple times. His 2011-12 selection marks the fifth time that a Barry student-athlete has won the award. He is the only three-time winner of the award. There have been three females who have won twice. Dawn Rawlins (volleyball) of Tampa won non-consecutalively in 1996-97 and 1998-99. Barry's Greta Trotman (tennis) became the first back-to-back winner in 2004-05 and 2005-06, while the Bucs' Shyla Rider (softball) won in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

A native of Curitiba, Brazil, Stapff won the Elite 89 award at the 2012 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship. The honor is given to the participant with the highest grade point average at each of the NCAA's 89 national championship events. Stapff had also claimed the distinction at the 2010 NCAA DII Men's Golf Championship.

Stapff was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Division II At-Large First Team. He also claimed Barry University's Professor Emerita Neill Miller Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for the third straight time. Having met the criteria to appear on the forthcoming 2012 SSC Commissioner's Spring Honor Roll, Stapff made that list each of his four years at Barry.

On the course, Stapff's performance was as impressive as his efforts in the classroom. He was named as a member of the Division II PING All-South Region Team, as well as the All-SSC first team. In the stroke play portion of the 2012 NCAA DII Championship, Stapff posted a seven-under 209 to finish fourth of 108 golfers competing at the event. He won the St. Edward's Invitational with a nine-under 207 to set the school record for career wins. He also leaves Barry as the career record holder with a 72.95 stroke average of 129 rounds of play.

Active in the community, Stapff has volunteered his time to the Special Olympics, Barry Community Fest, Ryder-Benjamin Golf Tournament, and the Miami Shores Presbyterian Church living nativity.

Voting for the SSC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year was conducted among the league's athletic directors, senior woman administrators, sports information directors, and faculty athletics representatives. Criteria considered in selecting recipients include 40 percent grade point average, 40 percent athletic prominence, and 20 percent school and community involvement.

In addition to Stapff's previous selection as SSC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2009-10 and 2010-11, Barry tennis players Patrick Rittenauer (2006-07) and Thomas Hipp (2004-05) were previous winners from the institution.